Occultish Occurences
by Goblin Cat KC
Summary: Shape-changing, Lotus, magick and conflict. Part 5 finally .
1. It begins

****

Occultish Occurences

by KC

Disclaimer: Ninja Turtles belong to someone else. Not me.

Chapter One

The night had started out as every other night had for the past few weeks. Michelangelo was parked in front of the television, trying out Donatello's newly repaired Playstation. His small cries of triumph and louder (and more frequent) groans of frustration irritated his slightly older brother, Raphael, who was sharpening the tips of his sais. With an unintelligible grunt he warned Mike to shut up. Half a minute later Mike had not shut up and received a swift cushion in his face. The ensuing commotion caught the attention of the eldest, who was running through endless katas in the practice room. Leonardo briefly thought about breaking up the fight before anything broke, but then he heard the crunch of plastic and wires, and then the cries--

"No no no, not the remote!" Mike yelled.

"You moron, I can't believe you sat on it!"

"You pushed me on it!"

"If you weren't so heavy--"

"You broke the remote _again_?" Donatello finally noticed what had happened.

Now Leonardo thought about going out and watching the ensuing fight, but he heard their master rustling in his private room and decided to avoid the coming lecture. It probably wouldn't be a harsh scolding. Everyone was bored, and it was hard to come down on them for having a bit of fun. He sighed and put up his swords. Any kind of excitement at this point would be nice.

"But master, it was Mike's fault--!"

"Raph hit me first, just ask Don!"

"Leave me out of this!"

Leo decided to wait a few more minutes before heading back to his room. He leaned against the wall, waiting for the argument to blow over. Suddenly the lights flickered and went out.

Raph's was the first voice. "What the hell--?"

Then Mike. "I'm blind!"

"No, you're not, dumb ass. The light went out."

Splinter's voice. "All of you, quiet. Donatello, can you see if it is our wiring that is at fault?"

"Uh, sure." They heard him start to move, and then caught the loud thump as he fell over Michelangelo. "Ow!"

Splinter just sighed.

"Great job, clumsy," Raph said.

Just as quickly as they went out, the lights came back on. Don and Mike were in a heap at Raph's feet, and Splinter was looking past them at the middle of the room.

"What do you believe caused that?" he asked.

"Something bad just happened."

The three turtles jumped in surprise and turned to see the eldest gathering his "real" swords from his room. Splinter seemed to take little notice that Leo had walked past all of them in the dark.

"Be cautious," Splinter nodded, giving him permission to go out.

"Hey!" Raph cried. "Can't we go?"

Leo smiled. "Well, come on, then."

There was a flurry of activity as Mike tossed Donatello off and all three rushed to retrieve their own weapons. Leo glanced at his master.

"Better now?"

Splinter smiled ever so faintly and nodded. "I know they will ensure that you make few errors in judgment."

"Yeah, but now I have to prevent _their_ errors." In a softer voice, he asked, "What do you think happened?"

"I am not certain." Splinter frowned. "You felt the negative energy, but I believe this is far more serious. Be careful out there."

Leo nodded, walking out. Still, he smiled as his siblings ran noisily after him, catching up after a few seconds.

"Thanks for waiting," Raph said.

Ignoring his brother as he often did, Leonardo just led the way up out of the sewers and onto the street. For a moment, none of them said anything.

Every light in every window and street was turning on and off in rapid succession.

"Wow," Mike breathed.

Donatello was about to say something when they heard two shrill screams from opposite ends of the alley.

"Raph, Don, check the other one out," Leo said, running with Michelangelo to the right.

Raph sighed and looked at his brother. "Ever notice how he always takes off with Mike?"

"It's cause he needs babysitting."

They ran down to the end of the alley, jumping over falling trashcans until they came out the other end. Right in front of them was a tall, dark man bent over a young girl. He noticed them immediately and stood up, letting the girl's body fall to the pavement. Blood seeped out from two small tears in her neck.

"A vampire?" Don gasped. "But those don't exi--" He was cut off by an explosion down the block.

Raph pulled out his sais and readied himself. "Don, go check out that blast. I'll take care of Dracula here."

Though reluctant to leave him, Donatello still took off for the origin of the explosion.

Meanwhile Leonardo and Michelangelo had pulled up short in front of what appeared to be a huge wolf threatening a small woman. They couldn't see her face because of the wolf's body. It snarled and growled, pacing back and forth as she darted left and right, trying to outmaneuver it, until it finally lashed out at her head, knocking her unconscious.

"Damn, that's a big wolf," Mike whispered.

Upon hearing a new voice, the wolf turned and glared at the two turtles.

"Brilliant, Mike," Leo said. "Just let it know we're here." A flicker of motion caught his eye at that moment, and he spared a second to look up. For some reason there was a reddish haze at the top of the building across from them.

"Mike, go up to the roof of that building and see what's up there."

"But what about the--?"

"Let me worry about it," Leo said as he drew one sword. "Go!"

****

Raphael curled his sais into his fists as his breaths grew shorter. His body was tense, and his eyes narrowed as he watched the predator in front of him pacing back and forth. The vampire's eyes were hardly human, and seemed more insane than not. Staring into its eyes was like looking into a madman's eyes, burning with a hunger he could hardly understand.

The vampire hissed and snarled, sliding back and forth as it tried to get behind him, or at least to his side. Raphael turned very slowly, keeping the monster in front of him. He had no idea how fast it could move, how intelligent or cunning it was, or how strong it was.

__

Fast, I have to end this fast, he thought hard to himself. _The faster it ends, the better._ Still, he had to wait for it to strike first. If he lunged without knowing his enemy's abilities, that could be the end of him.

Suddenly the vampire darted towards him with its claws extended, slashing at his face and eyes. Raphael backed up, then ducked down and tried to stab the creature's midsection while it was still clawing at him. His weapon's tip pierced its side and buried itself down to the hilt in the ribs. The vampire turned away so violently that the sai was pulled from his hand, and he rolled backward, hoping that when he stood up he would see the vampire in its death throes on the ground.

No such luck. When he was able to look up again, he found the vampire with a sadistic smile on its face, no sign of pain at all. Its gray hand drifted down to the sai and slowly pulled the dagger out. It stared at the bloodied blade, then tossed it aside. The sai skittered far out of Raphael's reach, into the shadows.

__

The heart, the heart! Raphael could have kicked himself. He had the opportunity to go for the heart and instead he'd forgotten all about those stupid folktales. _I have to go for its heart!_

The vampire seemed to read his mind. It started to laugh maniacally, mocking him. Its red eyes blazed out at him over its scarlet stained teeth.

"Yeah, laugh it up, fang-face," Raph growled. "You're gonna be eating that sai in a minute!"

The vampire crouched down, watching him. Raphael took a step forward, and the vampire decided it was time. Its form seemed to flicker and fade, and then its body dissipated into a fine mist that coalesced into one, broad spot and swirled towards him.

Raph tried to back away, but the mist rode on the night wind and curled quickly around him, surrounding him and cutting off any escape. He slashed at the mist, but his hand only passed harmlessly through. Then he heard it again. Its laughter. The mist suddenly reformed behind him, and two iron hands grabbed his shoulders and held him still. Two fangs drove into his throat.

With a snarl, enraged that he had been outmaneuvered, Raphael twisted his one sai in his hand and stabbed it upward behind himself. The hands released, and he jerked around to see that he had hit his mark. The sai was hilt deep in its heart. The vampire flailed and thrashed, trying to pull it out, but it tripped and fell forward, only succeeding in driving it in deeper. It howled in pain and exploded into dust, which blew away in the breeze.

Raph growled to himself and retrieved both of his sais, slipping them back into his belt. He raised a hand to the two marks in his throat, blocking off the small trickle of blood. "Damn," he whispered. "I wonder if those stupid legends are true."

****

Donatello ran as fast as he could towards the smoking crater left by the explosion. It was impossible to tell what had been there before. A few crumbling walls still stood and a couple of pipes jutted out at odd angles, but mostly there were only piles of flaming rubble. He vaulted over a tall mound of shattered concrete and landed inside the crater, coughing from the smoke.

His eyes narrowed. It looked like someone was walking towards him, out of the smoke. Whoever it was seemed taller than he was, but he was also carrying a staff that twisted at the top. When enough of the smoke cleared away, Donatello could see that the other person's staff had a growth of leaves and twigs at the top.

"You aren't welcome here," the other said.

Don held his staff in both of his hands, ready to attack or defend. "You caused that explosion," he said.

The other person nodded, smiling grimly.

"Why?"

"There was a girl inside who needed to die."

Don's gaze slid past the man and spotted a feminine hand laying palm up in the dirt. He followed it up with his eyes, but it ended at the arm. The rest of her body was missing. He shut his eyes in anger. "You're a monster."

The man pushed the hood of his cape back, revealing an inhuman skull that was blackened as if it had been burned. Horns jutted out at every angle, and fangs hung in his mouth like stalactites in a cave. Even so, it seemed to grin at him. "Can't argue with that."

It lowered its staff and aimed it at him. Now Donatello could see that the plants on the top of the staff were black roses, and the leaves had long since withered. Suddenly a purple glow enveloped the plants, and a bolt of lightning streaked out at him.

"Yikes!" Donatello used his staff to push himself out of the way just before the lightning struck him. Instead it passed harmlessly into the ground. He twirled his bo in a circle, preparing his attack.

"2X=(DY/DX)!" the monster yelled out, and another zap of energy burst out at him.

Donatello rolled out of the way and leaped up again. "What did you say?"

"4(DS/DT)=4GT!"

This time black hail rained down and exploded around him, but he managed to deflect each piece. "That's calculus," Don said. "You're casting spells with math."

Another burst shot out at him, and he was hard pressed to dodge it. He steadied himself and looked up to see the wizard readying another spell. There was no way he could get close enough to hit it. In fact, there was only one thing he could think of, and it was a pretty stupid idea in any case. Still...he knelt, pointed his staff at the creature, and yelled out "E=MC squared!"

His staff lit up like a torch and shot out a blinding ray of light. The ensuing explosion blew him backwards several feet, and when he looked up the only thing left of the monster were a few bone fragments and the dead staff. After a moment, even that dried up and crumbled away.

Donatello glanced at his bo and gasped. Wrapped around the thin shaft of wood were sprouts of ivy and laurel leaves. He gave his staff an experimental swirl, and to his surprise the sprouts clung firmly. "Um, 22?" he said. The vines grew and twisted a little, and a small ball of light began to glow at the end of his bo.

"Cool..." he whispered. "Just wait 'till the guys see this."

His eyes widened. If this was what happened to him, what was happening to them?

****

Leonardo sized up the wolf crouched in front of him, tensed and ready to spring at any moment. Its paws were easily as large as his head, and the rest of it could have dwarfed a small truck. Its fangs were like pearl daggers dripping with blood, and the eyes...the eyes were the worst. They were almost human.

It lunged and he dived to his right, rolling and drawing his swords as he stood up. The wolf hardly missed a beat. It turned like a dervish and leaped again, paws outstretched to grab him. Leo held his ground until it was right on top of him, then knelt beneath its claws and slashed upward. He felt one of his swords connect with something furry and then get dragged violently out of his hand. When he turned, he saw the wolf biting at something in its chest. With a shudder he realized it was clamping down on the hilt of his blade and dragging it out. It tossed it aside and glared at him.

"Oh, hell," he whispered. "What is that thing?"

As if to answer his question, the wolf's body seemed to...shift. The muscles beneath the fur rippled and changed position, and then the wolf actually stood up on its hind legs. Its front paws and legs turned into humanoid arms and hands, and its legs altered to adapt to an upright position.

"Okay, it's a werewolf," Leo said as calmly as he could. "What kills werewolves? Silver. But where's the nearest batch of silver around here?" He glanced around. He knew this neighborhood. "Weaponry store, they've got some there. But that's two blocks away--"

__

So start running!

Without wasting any further time, Leonardo turned and raced as fast as he could down the street. Seemingly surprised that its prey wasn't going to stay to fight, the wolf took a few seconds to decide that it should took off after him. Snarling, it broke into a run.

Leo heard the slamming of heavy paws on the pavement, but he didn't need to look back. He could hear the difference in their speeds and knew that if he kept running, it would soon catch him. It was almost on him as it was. He could feel it behind him, its claws reaching out--

He made a hard right into an alley, and he smiled when he heard the werewolf skid on the wet pavement. He'd bought himself a few more seconds. Up ahead he saw the fire escape fifteen feet up in the air. He took a deep breath and picked up his pace. Leap--up onto the dumpster, then another jump--got it! His hands managed to grab the lowest rung and he swung up onto the landing, racing higher. He heard a strange sound to his left, and when he looked aside he saw the werewolf climbing up the wall, driving its claws deep into the bricks and hauling itself up.

"Don't you ever give up?" Leo gasped. He hated running, he was more suited to fighting. At last he made it to the roof, but he didn't dare stop to catch his breath. He darted over the roof, vaulting the space between the buildings, and kept going over the next few roofs. Not too far behind, the wolf was keeping pace with him.

Several minutes into the run, dodging and running over minor obstacles, Leo finally spotted the weapons store. He groaned when he saw that it was across the street.

"Dammit!"

The wolf seemed to recognize his despair and barked out its laughter.

__

That's it, that's the last damn straw! Leo thought. _Bad enough I have to run from it, now it insults me!_ As he was thinking, however, an idea popped into his head. After all, the werewolf didn't seem to think much of bodily injury...

"Man, I'm glad Raph can't see me now," he mumbled as he ran to the edge of the building and jumped on top of the ledge, turning to face the werewolf. Its eyes lit up in anticipation of dinner. With a roar it lunged at him, claws stretched out.

Leonardo waited as long as he could, then slid out of the way. The werewolf's eyes lit up so comically that he would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. As it started to fall, though, he grabbed the back of its fur and held on, riding it halfway to the street. About ten feet from the pavement he jumped off, flipping to the front of the store and running in without worry of being seen. The electricity had been cut off from the alarm and security cameras. Behind him, he heard the thud of a body on pavement and the cruch of bones.

He searched for anything advertised as silver. Outside he could hear the werewolf moaning in pain and pulling itself back together. It wouldn't be long in coming after him once more.

"Come on, come on," he whispered, "where are you?"

Suddenly he spotted a row of daggers in a glass case, under a sign saying they were pure silver. He groaned when he saw how short they were. Even using the longest one would mean he'd have to get right next to his enemy.

There was a burst of glass as the wolf crashed through the window and landed beside him. Leo punched through the glass case and seized the dagger, turning as fast as he could. He still wasn't fast enough. It managed to lock its jaws on his left arm, sinking its fangs deep in his skin. He winced, mesmerized by the blood and pain, but figured that this was his only chance. Twisting around so that he almost dislocated his arm, he shoved the dagger as far as he could into the wolf's heart.

The reaction was instant. It let go of him and staggered back, and now he could see that he'd stabbed the dagger completely into its body, even past the hilt. It growled and howled miserably for several seconds, flailing at him with the last of its strength, and then fell to the floor.

Leo leaned against the wall and sighed, looking at the tears in his arm. As deep as they were, the bleeding had almost stopped, but he'd have to wait to have one of his brothers fix the damage. "Wonderful, just what I needed." He sighed and went to retrieve his lost sword before he would go and find his siblings.

****

After spotting which building had the purple cloud over it, Mike entered and smacked the elevator buttons a few seconds before remembering that the power was out. With only the moonlight to guide him, he found the stairs and ran up as fast as he could. Twenty flights later, he managed to drag himself up the last few steps, panting and gasping. He kicked open the last door and found a purple mist swirling around a woman in the center of the roof. The violet light made the woman's face hard to make out, especially as she waved her hands around trying to dispell the smoke. After a few seconds of scrutiny he could see it was--

"April?" Mike cried.

April turned and stared at him, auburn hair framing a panicked face. "Mike, get me out of here!"

"I'm coming!" He tried to get close to her, but the mist suddenly coalesced into a solid block, pushing him out of the way. Each time he tried to get closer, it shut him out. Inside the mist, April fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Mike's heart beat faster and he pounded on the block, slowly driving his way through it. A few seconds later it seemed to lose its patience with him and became a distinct, humanoid shape with some wisps of smoke at its feet.

"April, run!"

April didn't argue. She got up and ran for the door, taking the steps two at a time. As she turned the corner she looked back to see if she could spot Mike, and promptly ran into Donatello. They both toppled to the ground in a heap.

"April, what are you doing here?"

"There's something up there, a mist or something, it's purple, Mike's trying to fight it!"

"Calm down," Don said, rising to his feet and helping her up. "What exactly was it?"

"I don't know, it's up there, though!" She finally noticed that his bo had things growing on it. "Hey, what happened to your staff? It's glowing."

Donatello looked up and smiled. "Long story, I'll tell you later. Just get downstairs and wait for us there. Leo and Raph should be around soon."

April grabbed his arm, trying to hold him back. "You're not going up there, are you?"

"April, it's what we do. Now don't worry, we'll be fine." He broke out of her hold and walked up the rest of the stairs, heading out the door.

"Mike, are you out here?" There were still wisps of purple smoke around, but nothing like April had described, and no sign of his brother either. "Great, where did he go?" He turned and looked to his left, and froze.

Michelangelo and the purple mist creature were hovering in empty space a few feet from the roof, hanging over the pavement several stories below. Both seem to be struggling for air and grappling with each other, neither of them seemingly concerned about the abyss yawning beneath them. Donatello ran to the edge of the roof, trying to think of a way he could help his sibling, when there was a sudden explosion of light and a concussive force that blasted him backward against the door.

Not knowing his brother was nearby, Mike could only focus on the mist swirling around him, filling him up until it felt like he _became_ the mist. The creature clawing at him disappeared, and he felt wind rushing by him. He looked down and realized it was because he was falling.

"How do I get myself into these positions?" He was too far from the edge to grab anything. The only thing that would break his fall was a rapid de-acceleration on the pavement. He looked up and decided he would much rather be back on the roof.

A burst of air, a disoriented sensation of spinning, and then he was back on the roof, standing in amazement next to surprised Donatello.

"How...how'd I...?" Mike wondered, looking around. He looked down at Don's staff. "Hey, dude, you've got vines on your stick."

Don smiled and stood up. "Yeah. How did you do that, Mike? One minute you're falling, the next minute you're up in a tornado."

"A tornado? Oh, so that's what I did." Mike concentrated a bit, and a purple fog settled around them. "I was fighting that purple creature, and then he disappeared, and I was falling..."

Don put his arm around Mike's shoulders and started to walk back downstairs. "We can figure it out later. Right now April's on the ground, and we need to make sure she's safe."

****

Leonardo walked back down the street, trying to find his lost sword. He finally found it lying in two pieces on sidewalk. He looked at it for a moment, then decided it wasn't worth trying to fix and instead went to see if the girl the wolf had tried to kill was still unconscious.

He found her a few minutes later lying senseless on the pavement, her dark hair spread around her head. She was clothed entirely in black with a small white flower embroidered on her back. When he turned her over, he gasped in surprise.

"Lotus?"

Her eyes fluttered open and stared at him for a moment. "Leonardo?" she whispered. "Oh, thank heaven. We're all in danger, you...you have to..." her eyes closed again before she could finish.

Leo sighed and picked her up like a child. "It's all right. I'll get you somewhere safe, and once you've rested, then you can tell us."

He heard soft footsteps running up toward him, and he turned around to see Raphael pull up just a few feet away. Dried blood was spattered around a wound in his neck, but that was quickly healing. _Come to think of it,_ Leo thought, _so is my arm._ He could hardly feel the stinging from the wolf bites anymore.

"You all right?" Leo asked.

Raph nodded, eyeing Leonardo's armful. "Lotus? Did she start all this?"

Leo shook his head. "I don't think so. I just barely saved her from the werewolf."

"Werewolf?" Raph asked. "Makes sense. I was fighting a vampire. Wasn't in time to save the girl, though."

"That's what happened to your throat?"

"Yup." Raphael looked down the block at nothing. "You know, if all those old stories are true, then..."

"Yeah, I know," Leo said, glancing at his arm. "Did Donatello take off on you?"

"I sent him after an explosion down the street. Didn't see him after that. Mike?"

"On top of a building. They're probably both over there."

"Well, then, let's go."

Leonardo nodded and walked beside his brother to the building. Raphael noticed how slow his brother was moving and stopped, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Leo, you okay? You look exhausted."

Leo shrugged. "I'm just tired. I outran a werewolf for two blocks and then jumped off a roof on top of it."

"Mr. Consummate Warrior ran?" Raph smirked. "Wait'll I tell the others."

Leo just ignored him.

"Look out below!"

They both looked up and saw a purple tornado whizzing down toward them, and they dodged left and right to avoid it. It touched down and dissipated into a fine mist, leaving three figures standing in the center.

"Mike?" Raph said.

Beside him, Donatello wobbled and almost fell over, catching himself on his staff at the last moment. "That's the last time I ride with you, Mike...everything's spinning."

April sat down on the pavement and held her head in her hands. "I know what you mean...I think I'll walk the rest of the way."

Mike looked around at them. "What? That was a smooth ride."

"When you want to learn how to drive," April mumbled, "don't ask me to show you."

"What are you doing here?" Leo asked her.

"I was coming home from work, and suddenly the subway stopped and everyone seemed to disappear. So I took off, and that's when I noticed something was following me. I made it up here, and then I had to start up the building, and it was going to throw me off the roof when Mike stopped it." She glanced at Lotus. "Who's she? Was she attacked too?"

"Yeah, ah...long story. Saved her from a werewolf."

"Donatello," Raph said, "what's up with your staff?"

"You're never gonna believe this." Donatello grinned and held his staff high. "Look, 33!"

"Ooh, simple addition," Raph said.

Then the staff began to glow enough for them to see by.

"Spells are made of math?" Leo asked.

Don nodded. "The higher the formulae, the stronger the spells."

"Well, there went our magic career," Raph sighed.

"What were you fighting?" Mike asked.

"Some tripped out wizard," Don said. "That's what the blast Raph and I heard. Except...I didn't get there in time to save his victim."

"So it wasn't just me," April said. "At least three others were attacked."

As she finished talking, there was a long howl from the end of the street. They all looked down, peering into the darkness, but they couldn't see anything.

"I think we'd better get back to the lair," Leo said. "I don't think the things we faced were the only creatures out tonight."

They all nodded and ran for the nearest manhole, ducking in and closing it above them. As the last one of them jumped down from the ladder, they heard heavy foot steps shuffling around the cover, trying to pry it off. For some reason, it seemed unable, and Donatello whispered something about paws. Leonardo motioned for them to take off, and they silently took off down the tunnels, hoping nothing was following them.

TBC...


	2. Disagreements

****

Occultish Occurences

Chapter Two

When they finally reached their home, Mike and April crashed on the couch and flipped the television on, turning to the news channels. Donatello and Raphael, unable to find a spot to sit, stood behind them. Meanwhile, Leo took Lotus straight into the side room, which doubled as a sick room. He lay her down on the bed and covered her with a blanket, checking the small bump on her head.

"Leonardo..."

He looked up at his master, who stood in the doorway.

"What is she doing here?"

Leo cast his eyes down. "We rescued her from a werewolf, master. Out of the four girls attacked, only she and April are still alive."

Splinter practically glowered at the unconscious form on the bed. He had little liking for thieves, especially those who took pride in their dishonorable work. "There must be some reason why these four were targeted," he said.

Leonardo nodded. "I'll question her when she wakes up."

Splinter stood there for another few seconds, then turned and went away. Leonardo exhaled and leaned back in his chair. Having her this close was bad enough, but if Splinter ever found out how he truly felt about her...

"Thanks," came the muffled whisper.

"For what?" he asked.

"Not letting him know I'm awake."

Leo smiled and stood, shutting the door quietly. "I don't need that kind of trouble right now." _Hell, I might be turning into a werewolf and Raph may be turning into a vampire,_ he thought. He sat down again. "So, do you know why you were attacked?"

Lotus sat up, her dark hair spilling over her face, and she pushed it back away. "I think I do," she said. "I stole something, and it's been nothing but a problem since." She reached into a concealed pocket and took out a purple shard of glass that seemed to be part of something larger.

"It looks like it belongs with something else," he said.

She nodded. "It's the tail and backbone of a statue of the trickster god Coyote. I thought I could get a pretty good price for it, but then the lights started to go out, and I've been chased by monsters and...it's been a rough night."

"Was it broken when you stole it?" Leo asked.

Lotus shook her head. "No, it was complete. I was already out of the museum when it started to glow and sing, and then it exploded."

"Wait a minute--it sang?"

"I know it sounds weird, but that is the only way I can describe it. It sounded like it was howling and singing."

"And when it exploded?"

"I was still holding it, that's why I had a piece. The other three shot off and I lost them. Then I heard sirens, so I started running."

Leonardo sighed and leaned back. "That probably means someone cast a spell to make it break, and you were just lucky enough to be holding it at the time. Is there anyone else after that statue?"

"I don't think so. It's not exactly priceless, it's just very old. But..." she looked down at the floor.

"But what?" Leo asked. "I won't get mad, I promise."

"There was supposed to be a lot of magickal energy locked up inside of it. That was part of why I wanted to steal it, that sort of energy would be worth a great deal to the right buyer. But then it just broke apart in my hands...and...Leonardo, do you believe in visions?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, cocking his head.

She glanced up at him, a worried light in her eyes. "You'll think I'm crazy."

Leo smiled and just barely held in his laugh. "No, I won't. Believe me, I've seen worse."

"Promise?"

He nodded.

"Well, when I took the statue out of its case, I felt something...odd. It was like there was cold water running through my body instead of blood, and for a moment I thought I was floating in a cold mist."

"Right when you touched it?"

"Mm-hmm. It stopped almost as soon as it started, but then when I was running, I felt it again, and right when it exploded...for a split-second, everything was on fire, but there was no light. The flames were black. I saw evil things slithering through the shadows, and then I sort of woke up. I only had this piece left, and when I looked around, the other pieces were gone."

"When did the wolf come after you?"

"Just a few minutes after that," she said. "The sirens were coming closer, so I probably couldn't hear it over the noise, but I saw it charging down the street at me. I tried to run, but it was faster and cornered me against a building. I remember it slamming my head with its paw, but I only remember seeing you after that."

"We were lucky. I got there just as it knocked you out."

"Was that your reward?" she asked, motioning at the gouges on his arm.

"Yeah," he sighed, "I didn't turn quick enough, and it bit me. Kind of ironic, since that was the only way I could get close enough to kill it."

"You know what they say about being bit by a werewolf," she said.

He looked down and nodded. "Still, I'm not the worst off. Raphael was bitten by a vampire."

"I'm sorry, if I'd known this would happen--" she said, but he waved her down.

"No, I don't think this was your fault. In fact, I don't think you had anything to do with it exploding. I think it would have burst in its case even if you hadn't been there."

She gazed at him in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"Look at the marks on the jade, child," came the voice from the door.

They both looked over in startled shock, staring at Splinter, whose whiskers twitched slightly.

"Master..." Leo started, but Splinter cut him off.

"At the center of the statue is a circular gouge in the glass, yes?"

Leonardo nodded.

"And the statue's explosion coincides with the loss of power we experienced?"

He nodded again.

Splinter glanced back into the living room for a moment, then sighed and looked at his son again. "I need to speak with you alone as soon as you have bandaged that arm."

"Yes, master," Leo said, looking away.

Splinter narrowed his eyes at Lotus, then left the room once more, closing the door behind him.

"If he doesn't want me here..." she tried to say, but he cut her off.

"Then he has to live with it," he said. "If you go anywhere else, you might not survive through the night. You're staying here." Meanwhile he opened up the nightstand and took out a roll of bandages, but before he could start, Lotus took them from his hands.

"Here, give me your arm," she said, holding out her hand.

He allowed her to take his injured hand and slowly wrap the gauze around it, covering up the tears and cuts. Her fingers expertly curled around him, so soft he could hardly feel them, and she didn't use any tape to finish off the job, just tucked it in tight.

"There, that won't fall off, even in a fight, I promise," she smiled.

"I probably won't even need it after tomorrow."

Lotus tilted her head. "Why?"

"That thing bit me only a few minutes ago."

She frowned and gave an uncertain shake of her head. "But...those wounds were deep...it should take weeks to heal fully."

"No. They're healing fast. Too fast," Leonardo sighed as he stood up, heading for the door. "You stay in here and get some rest. And don't get too close to Raph. If he's changing like I am, he probably can't control it."

She nodded and he disappeared, heading for Splinter's room.

****

Raph spotted his brother slipping into the master's room and he sighed. The one time he wanted to talk to his older sibling and he couldn't...His throat had completely healed. Too damn weird. Plus, he was starting to get hungry, but he wasn't sure what he was craving. He pulled his sais out and started cleaning them to take his mind off of what was happening.

Next to him, Mike had lost interest in what was on television, no small feat in itself, and was experimenting with his new ability. He was making little balls of swirling purple mist in his hands, then stretching them out into odd shapes. He sculpted a few basic shapes, creating twisted spirals and connected rings, but after a moment he stood up and went behind the couch. Concentrating hard, he lined the floor with purple smoke.

"Nice," April said. "But can you do any other colors?"

"I don't think so," he said. "How the heck did I pick this up? I was only next to him for a moment."

"It looked like a battle of wills to me," Donatello said, taking Mike's seat. "What were you doing in there, 'cause I know you weren't just hanging four."

Mike grinned at the little joke. "Dude, I was just up in the air trying not to choke. I got this warm, tingly sensation and then his eyes got really bugged out and he got thinner and fainter until he faded away, and that's when I felt kinda light-headed."

Donatello's familiar frown appeared. "Mike, try making a human shape out of that mist."

Mike blinked at the odd request, but he nodded anyway. He held out his hands and formed a large mass of mist, then started pulling at it like a cottonball, stretching out some arms and legs and making a lump for a head. The entire manikin was only five inches tall, but that didn't make it any less frightening when it started jumping up and down and clawing at him. Fortunately he'd only given it wispy stumps for hands, which passed ineffectually over his skin.

"What the hell is that?" Raph and April said simultaneously, backing away as fast as they could.

"Just as I suspected," Don smugly smiled. "You absorbed that thing when you took its powers in. I'm not quite sure how you did it, but there he is."

"It feels like I'm holding a damn roach."Mike grimaced, holding the purple monster at arms length. "Can I kill it?"

"I think so," Don said. "Can you squish it?"

Mike closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and clapped his hands together. The purple mist exploded out, and solid pieces of it landed on the floor and couch around him, fading out of existence after a moment. They all looked back at his hands, which were covered in purple liquid.

"Ewww..." Mike whimpered. "I gotta go clean this off!"

As Mike ran off towards the bathroom, Donatello took his staff into the lab, leaving Raph and April to watch the news.

"This is Vernon Davis filling in for April O'Neil. No explanation has been given as of yet for the mysterious power outages and gas explosions the city is experiencing. Both the mayor and the chief of police could not be reached for comment. Emergency crews have been dispatched, but there are reports coming in that there's no damage to the lines, just that the power simply goes on and off without explanation."

April rolled her eyes. "He calls that reporting? Geez, there's a reason he hasn't been promoted."

Raph smirked. "April, is that a tone of superiority I hear?"

"Not superiority. Earned confidence."

"Right..." he laughed. "I'll tell that one to Leo when he says I'm acting up again."

"Speaking of which, where is he?"

Raph shrugged. "I think I saw him go into Splinter's room. Figures."

April sighed and looked back the television. Raph glanced over at her, and his attention was grabbed by the blue vein barely visible beneath the skin on her throat. He could almost see the blood flowing through her body, and as he glanced away, he caught himself staring at the veins in her wrist. The sound coming from the television faded into a hum miles away, and all he could hear was her heartbeat and what sounded like rushing water, but he knew that was her blood. A minute passed and he still hadn't looked away, and somehow April hadn't noticed. Raph let out a breath, only then realizing he'd been holding it. With a shaky gasp, he got up.

"I'll be in the gym," he said, almost running away.

Puzzled, she watched him disappear, then went back to watching the television. She might spot something useful, and since the others seemed rather busy, she'd better stay attentive.

****

Splinter was already seated on his usual mat with a few candles burning nearby when Leonardo came inside. He mentally prepared himself for an argument as he knelt down.

"Do you have the piece of jade Lotus stole?" Splinter asked.

Leo nodded and held the green fragment out to him. Splinter gingerly took it, avoiding the jagged edges. The stone sparkled in the dim candlelight.

"What do you think this was before it broke apart?" Splinter said, examining the fragment.

"Lotus says it's the tail and back of a statue of Coyote," Leonardo replied, "but I think it's much older than that god."

Splinter's eyes lit up, but he only nodded. "Older than the first peoples on this continent?"

"I think it came across to America from Asia, in the first migration here. It looks like a Chinese stylized dog from the astrological calendar."

"You are probably right," Splinter said. "The native peoples here tend to be more realistic in their artwork. The spike tail here looks like a forerunner of the modern renditions of the dog. Why did she take it?"

"It was rumored to have a great storehouse of energy inside of it. When it shattered, it released enough to kill the power nearby."

"Not all of it, though," Splinter said, staring at the rough line where it had broken free. "This piece has some magic left inside of it, and I do not think it is dormant. It is fueling a passive spell even as we speak."

"I don't know enough of magic to figure out what that is," Leo said.

"Nor do I, but I can hazard a guess. A great burst of energy, strong enough to break solid stone and this flow of power...it must have cut through much more than that. You obviously had something of a fight just now. What happened?"

Unfazed by the abrupt subject change, Leonardo started to relate what he had seen and done, and what had apparently happened to his brothers.

"I hate to think that Raph could be changing into something else," he finished up. "Mike seems to have absorbed a mist creature, Donatello is playing with magick like it's a toy, and I don't even want to think about what's happening to me."

"A werewolf," Splinter said. "And other supernatural creatures...this is serious."

"Master?"

"Leonardo, it is very likely that this little statue opened up a rift between worlds, allowing the worst inhabitants of the spiritual world across into ours." Splinter examined the piece of the statue further. "In fact, I think that all of the pieces are holding it open. If we are going to close off the rift and send these creatures back, we must gather the rest of the statue together."

"How many creatures could be coming through?" Leonardo asked. "We only faced four, but I did hear something else coming down the street when we came together."

Splinter sighed. "I have no way of knowing. We also do not know how many pieces there are."

"The things we fought were after four different women," Leo said slowly. "Lotus had one piece, but I don't know if the others had any."

"We will need to ask April," Splinter said. "And since the subject has been brought up..."

Leonardo steeled himself for a fight.

"...now that Lotus has delivered her piece to us, she need not remain here."

"Those monsters already tried to kill her, I don't doubt they'll try again."

"I am certain that she can take care of herself."

"Yes, master, she really showed that werewolf who was boss," Leo said.

Splinter narrowed his eyes. "I do not trust her, you know that."

"If you send her out on her own, they'll kill her."

"You do not know that."  
"You don't seem to be sending April out."

"Lotus is still a thief, no matter what you feel for her. She might steal this piece of the statue and sell it."

"She wouldn't. She's not evil."

Splinter's tail twitched as he grew annoyed. "Affection is clouding your vision."

"Your preconception is clouding yours," Leo said.

They both leaned back and took a breath. At least now they knew where they stood in relation to each other.

"She is a thief," Splinter said in a softer voice.

"And I'm a ninja," Leo said. "An assassin."

"She steals. Dishonorably," he added before Leonardo could mention Ninjara.

"And I kill. Frequently." Leonardo looked away at the floor. "She hasn't done that, at least. She doesn't hurt people."

"And the people she victimizes are not hurt?" Splinter waved his hand at the jade fragment. "The museum has not lost a priceless artifact?"

Leo almost smirked, but he forced it down. "It would have been lost anyway. Besides, I'm sure they have plenty of items in their basement." He shook his head. "I won't let her be thrown out, master."

Splinter sighed in exasperation. "No, I did not believe you would. Very well, she stays until this madness is over." He set the fragment down and wrapped it in a black silk cloth. "Ask April what she knows. I will search through my books and find out what I can about this. And find out exactly what is happening to your brothers. It may be that one of them, Donatello most likely, can feel what is going on."

Leonardo tilted his head respectfully, then stood up and left.

****

"Raph, you okay?" Don asked, poking his head into the gym.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Raphael said, but his voice was too strained. He finished up the kata he was working on, then started another. He was moving faster than he'd thought possible. He was sure he was faster than Leo, and it made him smile to think he could beat him now, but he kept wondering if he was dead now. Or undead. Or whatever vampires were.

"Did anything happen to you?" Don asked. "You know, like what happened to me and Mike?"

Raph shook his head. "No, not like what you and Mike got. Um, what exactly did you two get, anyway?"

Don sighed and leaned on his staff, which was slowly covering itself with leaves. "I don't know for sure. Mike seems to have absorbed that mist creature's power, and I picked up that monster's ability to cast spells."

"You must have a theory," Raph said. He wasn't too interested in whatever scientific jargon his brother might spout, but at least it kept him from thinking about the fangs growing in his mouth.

Don grinned. "You know me too well. Whatever's happening out there, it's making everything really easy to...um, how to put this...easy to slide around."

"I don't get it."

"Well, that creature's power just transferred into Mike without much of a problem, and same for me. Those monsters aren't normal for New York, so I'd say they came from another dimension or something. The boundaries of...something...have gotten thin, so things can move around, and the same goes for traits."

"That explains a few things," Leo said, coming up behind him.

"Gah!" Don glared at his big brother. "Don't do that!"

Leonardo ignored his sibling's anger and looked at Raph. "Don, do me a favor and ask April what she knows about any of this, and see if she's got any stone fragments on her."

"Sure, right after my heart starts beating again," Don growled, stomping out.

Raph sighed in exasperation when his brother said that, and went back to his exercise routine. "I don't want to talk about this, Leo."

"I know. I'll make it quick. Do you think you can control it?"

Raphael stopped and grabbed a bo from the floor. "And what if I can't? Will you stake me through the heart?"

There was no answer. Raph looked up into Leo's cold stare. He started practicing again. "Yeah, I can, if I'm not close to any of you. I swear, I can hear your blood in your veins. And what about you? Feeling the curse of the werewolf yet?"

"Raphael, I want you to promise me something."

"What's that?"

"I heal really fast now. It would be hard to kill me. But if I try to hurt any of you..."

Pausing in his routine, Raph stared at the wall for a moment. "I'd find a way. But that won't happen." He gazed over at Leo. "Will it?"

Leonardo sighed and leaned against the wall. "Lotus said that all this started when the jade statue she'd stolen exploded in her hands. She was left with just a fragment, and immediately the wolf came after her."

Raphael didn't squabble about the subject shift. "And you think April and those other girls might have had a piece?"

"Who knows what's going on right now?" Leo shrugged. "All I know is that it's keeping a rift between worlds open."

"Just like Don said," Raphael nodded. "Speaking of Lotus, how's Splinter handling her?"

"With a ten foot pole," Leo said. "He actually wanted to send her back topside."

Raph whistled in surprise. "And how are you handling her being here?"

Leo didn't say anything for a moment, then turned towards the door. "I'd better see what April knows."

"You know, for someone who says I avoid things, you're actually much better at it than I am."

Leo smirked and looked back. "Let me know when you're done practicing alone in here."

Breaking off his routine, Raph glared daggers at his brother. "That was a low blow."

"Sunrise is around six thirty today," Leo said. "I'll keep an eye on you."

"I don't think much sun will get down here," Raphael said.

"I wasn't talking about the sun."

"...I know."

TBC...


	3. Sibling Rivalry

****

Occultish Occurences

Chapter Three

Leonardo walked into the living room and found Donatello and April talking on the couch, while Lotus had settled into the opposite couch and turned something over in her hands. He sat down beside her while Don started talking.

"April says she was chased from the news station all the way down here by that mist thing. It followed her through a fog and a busted fire hydrant that was spewing water everywhere!" He was grinning as he spoke.

Lotus looked at him in confusion. "And why is that cause for celebration?"

Mike laughed as he entered the room, hands still wet from the sink. "Donatello finds the most boringest things exciting. Ask him to show you his spore collection sometime."

"Don't you see?" Don asked. "A mist went through a fog and through water, without its particles diffusing through the other gases and liquids. It's a violation of basic physical laws. There should have been some kind of mixing, but there wasn't!"

"Maybe it was like oil and water?" Lotus asked. She turned the dagger in her hands over and started to polish the other side.

"Even then some oil displaces the water," Don said. "This mist went through them like they weren't even there!"

"Yes, it's a mystery for the ages," Mike said, flopping down on the sofa.

"Oh, Don said you wanted this," April said, pulling a green block of stone from her pocket. She handed it over to Leonardo.

"That's the head!" Lotus said. "From the statue."

"How did you get this?" he asked, examining it.

"I caught it. I was outside in the parking lot, and I opened my purse to get my keys, and that thing just landed inside. Right after that, this purple fog moved in and I took off."

"How did you know to run?" Mike asked.

"Instinct, I guess. I just realized I had to get away."

"I think it's safe to assume the other women also had other fragments," Leo whispered to himself, oblivious to their looks. "Those were probably the only other pieces, so we have half. Now how do we find the other two?"

"And once again, Leo's not telling us everything," Mike said to no one in particular.

Bit by bit Leo explained everything he and Splinter had discussed, though he left out the argument about Lotus.

"Cool!" Mike said. "Just like in a comic book."

As Donatello tried to explain the severity of the situation to his youngest sibling, Lotus turned to Leo.

"Let me see your arm, will you?"

After a moment's hesitation, he let her slide the bandages away. She narrowed her eyes and started taking the bandages off. "You don't need these anymore."

He stared at his skin, which no longer even hinted that major damage had been done minutes ago. "Damn, that was fast."

"So, what do we do now?" Mike asked.

"Good question," Leo said, then realized the room had gone deathly silent. He looked up and found all eyes on his miraculously healed arm.

"Wasn't that torn up a moment ago?" Don asked slowly.

Leo sighed and nodded. "You noticed..."

"Then how...?" Mike wondered.

"'Cause he's a werewolf and I'm a vampire," Raph muttered, coming into the living room. "You two weren't the only ones to get an upgrade."

"But doesn't that mean...you drink...?" Donatello wasn't able to finish.

"Blood? Don't know for sure yet," Raph said.

"Just don't get too close," Leo whispered. "To either of us."

Sensing that everyone was feeling far too awkward, Lotus heaved a sigh and glanced at Leonardo. "Well, it's really late. I'm going to sleep. See you in the morning."

"Good idea," Don said, stretching. "Been one hell of a day." He stood up and headed for his room.

"Where do I sleep?" April asked.

"Well, since Lotus is in the sick room..." Mike said.

"You can have my room," Leo offered.

"I'd hate to intrude--" April started, but Mike laughed her down.

"Relax, he hasn't slept in there in years."

"Really?"

"It's true," Leo nodded. "Go ahead. I'll be out here if you need me."

"Good night," Mike called, disappearing into his room.

April smiled and ducked into Leo's room, shaking the dust off of the blanket before she climbed into the bed.

Raph stared at Leo. "If I don't get up in a few hours, don't try to wake me."

"I know."

As he left, Lotus smiled at Leonardo. "Will you be all right?"

"Sure, no problem. Pleasant dreams."

"I hope so."

He watched her disappear into the sick room, then got up and turned off all the lights and made certain the door was latched and locked firmly, with the bar drawn. They rarely used it, but right now he felt a bit safer with it down. Once he was certain they were fast asleep, he took the new fragment to Splinter.

"This is the head?" Splinter asked, placing it next to the other piece. "This seems to be half of the statue."

"What do we do tomorrow?" Leonardo asked.

"Find out who did this, and where he or she is. But that is for tomorrow. Get some sleep, you seem exhausted already."

Knowing Splinter was right, Leonardo nodded and lay down on the couch. Five minutes later, even though it was pitch black, he felt someone drape a blanket over his shoulders and body.

"Goodnight, Lotus," he said, and smiled when she laughed. He listened to her walk back to her room.

"I just didn't want you to freeze," she whispered.

****

Leonardo's eyes opened just a bit, even though the room was pitch black. Something was wrong. He knew something had woken him up, but he didn't know what. Everything was silent. He started to tense up in anticipation. His instincts were going wild. As quietly as he could, he eased out from under the blanket but left it in a pile on the couch, as if he was still under it. Without a sound, he backed away into a corner and waited.

Half a minute later, he heard the door to one of the bedrooms open ever so gently. Usually he could tell the doors just by the noise they made, but this time it was so soft and so faint he couldn't tell which one. He almost got up when he heard a footstep come into the living room. He stopped breathing.

As tense as if he were in battle, Leo listened to the clock scream out each second. There was someone else in here, he could hear them breathing. He knew it wasn't April, she just wasn't that silent, but then he wondered if that was in fact April sleeping in his room, or if it was some strange monster that had taken her place.

__

Getting too damn paranoid now, he tried to tell himself. _Maybe Raph is right. It could be Mike off for a midnight snack._

As soon as he finished that thought, there was a soft hiss, and then the sound of fabric tearing apart. Leonardo made a move for the lightswitch, hoping to blind whatever was there momentarily, but the other person must have heard him. He recognized the sound of a body turning to face him. Leo leaped across the room towards the light just as his enemy jumped for him. As his hand hit the switch, he heard a body slam clumsily into the wall. He turned, then froze.

Raphael was in front of him, eyes completely black. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the throbbing pain, and Leo noticed the dent in the wall. Raphael had meant to kill him in that lunge but had slammed his head into the wall instead. Thin threads hung from his newly formed claws, and Leo spared a quick glance at the blanket. Sure enough, it was in tatters.

"Raph, don't do this," he warned him, unafraid of his sibling. In fact, he was so energized he didn't notice that he was looking forward to this fight.

"Shifter," Raphael snarled.

Raph darted forward again, moving so fast that his body was blurry. Without any chance to dodge aside, Leo wound into a vicious spin kick that somehow threw his brother against the other wall. Not missing a beat, Raphael was back on his feet, unharmed. That infuriated Leonardo. He ran forward and vaulted over the couch. Raphael watched, ready to attack, when suddenly Leo...shifted.

It was as if his body disappeared into a swirl of shadows and reappeared in a new shape. He was almost the exact likeness of the werewolf he'd fought, only his fur was entirely black. His claws glimmered in the light. When he landed in front of Raphael, he was easily twice his size.

Moving faster than humanly possible, Raphael backed away from Leonardo's first slash, then aimed his own strike. Leo's body moved like liquid, twisting wildly to avoid the attack, and he leaned forward to bite, his snapping jaws barely missing his sibling's throat. He swiped with one paw and caught Raphael's side, sending him flying into the practice room. Raph turned midair and landed nimbly on his feet, crouching down for another attack.

As he ran after him, Leonardo seemed to realize that this wolf body was big on strength but far too slow. With each step his body vanished into moving shadows and rearranged, and when he was visible again, his body was much more elongated, with a feline face and a long tail flickering behind him. He hissed and reached out, trying to cut deep into his brother's face.

"You won't end this fight that fast," Raphael growled, aiming his own claws at Leo's eyes.

"But I will!" came a loud voice.

They both stared in surprise at Splinter who stood in the doorway. "Both of you, stand down!"

"But--!" they tried to defend themselves.

"Stand down!"

"But--!" they tried again.

"Now!"

With furious sighs and glaring sullenly at each other, they backed away slowly, each certain that the other would try to attack again. Splinter, unafraid of his two sons, stepped between then. "Leonardo..." he said angrily.

Knowing he'd lost control, Leo allowed himself to return to his normal shape, still keeping an eye on his brother. They both knew he was vulnerable to Raphael's attack this way.

"What are you two fighting about this time?" Splinter demanded. He held one hand up to silence them as they launched into angry accusations. "Leonardo?"

"He tried to kill me," Leo said.

"Raphael?"

"He nearly killed me!" Raph said.

"I gave you the chance to back off," Leo argued.

"So you could attack first!"

"You mean after you attacked the couch?" Leo growled.

"Leonardo, be quiet," Splinter said. "Raphael, did you attack your brother?"

Raphael sighed, then nodded once.

"Why?"

"He's a shifter," Raphael spat the word out like an insult. "They love to kill."

"How do you know?" Splinter asked.

"I...don't...I mean..." Raph said. "I just do!"

"Leonardo," Splinter said, turning, "out."

Leo hesitated, but Splinter glared at him. Without another word but with one final glare at his brother, he turned and left the room. Apparently the battle had been so quiet no one else had heard it. Everyone else was still fast asleep. He tossed the shredded blanket away and turned out the light again, but he didn't try to go back to sleep when he lay back down. The light hurt his eyes.

****

Splinter watched Leonardo leave, then closed the door softly and stared at Raphael, who had lowered his eyes. "How could you attack your own brother?"

Raphael growled. "He's a shifter, and shifters kill."

"So do vampires," Splinter pointed out.

"Yeah, but he likes it," Raphael argued. "All shifters love to kill anything they can get their claws into."

"Raphael, you must have some kind of proof to this accusation."

Raphael snarled in frustration, and his newly formed fangs showed as he did. "Look, I know this sounds weird, but when that damn vampire bit me, I've been seeing things I couldn't normally see before. I've been recognizing different things. I can hear the water rushing through pipes half a mile away, I can practically feel Don's staff just glowing with power, and Leo...Master, I know this is weird, but his whole body's acting crazy."

"What do you mean?" Splinter sat own on the mat, indicating for Raphael to follow.

Raphael knelt in front of him. "His heart's beating faster and faster, and his breathing's gotten real shallow, like he's always anticipating an attack from everywhere, or more like he's going to attack anyone. I can't trust him."

"He is certainly not going to trust you any more," Splinter sighed. "Raphael, you say it is when you were given these new abilities that you felt these things?"

Raphael nodded once.

"Then until there is proof of what you think Leonardo is feeling, I suggest you ignore these new senses of yours."

Raphael's eyes opened in shock. "But...but..."

"I know your mind is certain of what it sees and feels, my son," Splinter started, gently this time. "But the fact is, you struck first, and you did not give your brother any chance to do anything other than attack."

"But it felt so right..." Raphael said.

"Which is why those new abilities are so dangerous. Raphael, we do not yet know how or why you have received these senses. You cannot trust them blindly. Do you understand?"

Raphael nodded. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

"We have to find out where the other pieces to this statue are. I am certain that once we have put it back together, the boundaries between worlds will be re-established."

"But to do that, we have to find out who broke it in the first place."

Splinter nodded. "That will probably be difficult. We must find out which way the energy fueling the spell is running, out or in. Either way will lead us to the person responsible."

"And how do we do that?"

"Through a spell of our own." Splinter's whiskers twitched. "But not tonight. We must all be well rested, for tomorrow could prove as dangerous as tonight was."

Recognizing that statement as a dismissal, Raphael bowed and stood. "Um...what about Leo?"

"I will speak with him shortly. Get some sleep."

Not about to argue this time, Raphael left the room. Even though the living room lights were off, he could make out the form of his brother laying across the sofa. He lowered his eyes and headed for his room. "Leo, I--I'm sorry, man."

Leonardo glanced up at his shadowy figure. "It's all right. Is Splinter coming in?"

"Yeah, said he wanted to talk to you."

There was no reply. Raphael sighed and ducked into his room, eagerly falling into a dreamless sleep. Leonardo wondered if he would have time for a catnap, but Splinter came in from the practice room too soon.

"Leonardo, we must talk."

Inwardly steeling himself, he got up and followed his master into his room. He watched as Splinter sat down and lit a candle, then sat down on the indicated mat. He held silent, waiting for the first question.

"Why did you retaliate against your brother?"

"Self-defense," Leonardo said.

"I understand that," Splinter said. "But when you were both in the practice room facing off against each other, you ceased to stay on the defense and actively attacked Raphael."

"I wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible."

"With his death?"

"Raphael will heal from just about any would I could inflict on him," Leonardo said with a frown. "There was no danger of killing him. He is just as strong as I am, when I've shifted."

"That brings up another question. Why did you...'shift'?" Splinter pronounced the word as if he had never heard it before.

"I'm no match for Raphael in my normal body," Leonardo answered. _Is this a trick question?_ "I shifted so I could defend myself without getting my throat torn out."

"And how did you shift?"

The question seemed to catch Leonardo off guard. "I...just did." He paused, trying to think of a decent answer that would satisfy both of them. "Like...instinct, I think. I just...knew how."

"Did you automatically become that feline hybrid?"

Leonardo shook his head. "No. I looked more like the wolf I faced earlier, but that form was too slow, so I altered it a bit."

Splinter nodded faintly. "Leonardo...I do not think it wise for you to use these new abilities."

Leo had expected that comment, but it still stung. He felt as if Splinter was implying he was too immature to use them. "I did not lose control. Raphael was in no danger." He couldn't tell if that was a lie or not.

Splinter narrowed his eyes. Leonardo's voice sounded remarkably sullen, almost like Raphael's. "You do not know where these abilities come from."

"There is no such thing as evil inherent in magic or skill," Leo said, "only in the way it is used. You told me that."

Splinter almost bristled at that remark. "So the child becomes the master now?"

"Child?"

Splinter could have slapped himself. That statement usually only worked on the other three. With the eldest, though, it could only be a cruel insult, not a deserved rebuke. "A mere phrase of speech," he said, trying to dismiss his comment. "The point is, you do not know for certain that these recent turn of events have not been manipulated, and that your abilities are not the result of an enemy's intricate planning or deceit."

The returning look of attentive reasoning assured Splinter that Leonardo was no longer thinking about that past comment, but that did not guarantee his pupil would come around to his thinking. In fact, Leonardo still looked rather unconvinced.

Finally Leonardo shook his head. "Until I see proof that this is evil or beyond my control, I will not hold myself back from using this ability, especially where it might save my life or the lives of my family," he said, looking up into Splinter's eyes, "but...I will refrain from using it casually or without need."

Knowing he would have to be content with that or else risk provoking his son's rare impulsive side, Splinter nodded his agreement. "Perhaps it is best if you go back to sleep," he said. "There will be much to do tomorrow."

Leonardo could hear the disappointment in his master's voice, but he hid the discomfort it caused. He bowed once, then returned to the living room. _I'm not going to get anything near to resembling a decent night's sleep,_ he grumbled to himself. _Of course, I usually only get a couple hours anyway, so what's so awful about that?_ _Aside from the fact that all that shifting's made me exhausted...and starving..._

Deciding to put off sleep for the moment, he headed into the kitchen for a midnight snack raid. There was a small stack of pizza boxes in the fridge, and the topmost one held almost two thirds of one large supreme. It only took a few minutes to completely devour it, leaving him sated but not full. It was if his metabolism had increased dramatically, and his body was already converting that food to energy. Accepting it as part of the "shifting" package, he put it out of his mind and went back to sleep.

****

TBC...


	4. Higher Math

****

Occultish Occurences

Chapter Four

"Holy shit, what happened?!"

Leonardo heard his youngest brother's sudden uncharacteristic cursing, but his body told him it was too early to get up and he kept his eyes closed.

"Leo, are you okay?"

__

Three hours of sleep, yeah I'm just fuckin' peachy, Leo groaned, but he just nodded. "Yeah, I'm alive. Raph just tried to kill me last night, that's all."

"Kill you?" That was Donatello's voice. "Why?"

__

And it looks like I'm only gonna get three hours. Leo sighed and pushed himself up to a sitting position, struggling to shake the sleep out of his head. "It...made a lot more sense last night. Go ask him. He could probably explain it better than me." A stray thought entered his head and he looked up. "Wait a sec. What time is it?"

"Seven," Mike answered.

Leonardo got up and headed to Raphael's door, but he didn't knock. Instead he stood there for a moment, just listening. After a few seconds, he heard Raphael moving quietly about and he nodded to himself. _Raph's awake. Good. He can move during the day._ He sighed and headed to the kitchen. "It's gonna be a bad day, I just know it," he grumbled.

"Your argument last night with Splinter wasn't about me, was it?"

He looked into the kitchen and spotted Lotus staring irately at the coffee maker, her hair slightly disheveled and her eyes as unfocused as his. Apparently she wasn't a morning person. "No, just a lecture about how I shouldn't use my new talents."

She smirked as he sat down. "That's going to be hard since they include instant healing. Why wouldn't he want you to use them?"

"He thinks they could be evil, or sent by demons or something...I'm not sure." Leonardo grabbed a coke can out of the fridge and popped it open. "He thinks my having them could be part of a finely orchestrated plot."

"A conspiracy theory?" she smiled.

"Something like that."

"But if that was true, that means leaving April and me alive would be part of the plot, and they seemed quite intent on otherwise. Plus, why would they give you an ability to heal?"

"I did get one new weakness," he said softly. "I'm probably vulnerable to silver now."

"But you don't know for sure," she said, sitting down with her coffee. "How will you know if you don't experiment?"

"True...that's what I've been thinking." He looked over at his siblings as they waited for Raphael to come out. "I don't want to screw up because I didn't know my real limits."

"Then you'll have to practice them without him knowing," she whispered.

Leonardo nodded. "I still don't understand why he didn't want me to use them. If he was so set against it, why didn't he tell Mike and Donatello to quit testing their abilities last night?"

"They haven't tried to kill each other?"

He smirked. "True, but Raph and I are always at each other's throats."

"Maybe he is afraid of what these abilities could do for you."

He looked up in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"If you can shapeshift at will...I mean...what are your limits to altering your appearance?" she asked.

He breathed deep as he understood. Could he look human? "I don't know...I only tried two shapes last night...I don't know how far I could go. I have no idea what my abilities are now." He glanced back at her. "Did you hear anything besides the argument last night?"

She shook her head. "No, you and Splinter woke me up. Why?"

"Because my fight with Raph didn't sound all that quiet to me. I wonder if our hearing's been improved, too."

"You must have been silent. I'm an extremely light sleeper."

"So's just about everyone in the house," he said.

Suddenly voices erupted from the living room. "Look, I don't wanna talk about it, all right!"

"But you attacked Leo!"

"So what, I've done that before!"

"You were trying to kill him!"

"Yeah, and I've tried that before, too!"

Leo sighed and finished off the soda. "So...how was your night?"

Lotus shrugged. "Not so bad...I did find a few flaws with your overall security, but since you're all ninjas, I figure you have those covered."

"Probably not," he admitted. "Sometimes I think the best defense this place has is that it's so hard to find." He narrowed his eyes. "And when did you go searching around for holes in the defense?"

She smiled and waved her hand. "Oh, just a habit I picked up. I've been on the lookout for easy or good marks for so long, it's second nature."

"Look, I'm not gonna bite you, so quit looking at me like that!"

"Raph, you were looking at _me_ funny."

"You're imagining things! I wasn't even looking at you!"

"Can you blame him, Raph? You _are _a vampire."

"Yeah, and you're a wizard. You could probably turn us into toads or something, and you're worried about me?"

"I would never--hey...I probably could, couldn't I?"

"Great, Raph, just give him ideas..."

Lotus gazed over at the squabbling siblings. "Are they always like this?"

Leo leaned back in his chair and sighed. "No, they're usually worse."

April suddenly popped out from the bedroom door and glared at them. "Will you guys pipe down? You're like little children."

"We are not!" they all chorused together without meaning to.

"You're worse than Shadow when she's fussy!" April snapped, ducking back into the room.

Silence.

Mike looked over at the kitchen. "Leo, April just called us names!" he said in his best whiny voice, smirking.

"She was being honest," he replied without looking back.

Raph turned to the closed door. "April, will you at least concede that I'm more mature than Mike?"

"No, you're both acting like brats."

Donatello laughed. "She's got you two pegged."

"And you--" April said, looking out again, "don't go trying any spells out on anyone, you hear me? Bad enough you like to blow things up, but now you don't even need chemicals to do it!"

"Hey!"

Raph snickered. "That's okay, he never gets his equations right without a computer."

"Leo, could you spare just a couple of minutes to mess with Don's computer?" Mike asked.

"Don't you touch that computer!" Donatello yelled.

"Leave me out of this," Leo said.

"What about Donatello's computer?" Lotus asked.

Leo groaned lightly and shrugged. "Just that every time I touch that stupid thing, it crashes. It's a strange gift, but now I'm not allowed five feet from Don's lab."

"Hmm..." she smiled slyly. "There are a few computer-controlled security systems I'd like for you to visit with me."

"I doubt my son has time for such things," Splinter said, coming in.

Lotus blushed and lowered her head. Leonardo kept his face emotionless and didn't let his master see how angry he was that he'd eavesdropped on their conversation.

"I will need to see everyone in the living room," he said to them. Watching as they got up, he followed them into the next room.

****

There was a tension in the room that everyone could feel, but only three of them knew where it was coming from. Everyone sat in a semicircle around the master, April and the younger siblings together, and further to the side, Leonardo and Lotus each occupied one arm of the sofa, neither of them really sitting.

"So what is it?" Mike asked, oggling the broken statue in Splinter's hands.

Splinter threw a quick glance to the side, which Leo and Lotus pretended not to notice. "It is a kind of key holding a door between dimensions open. I am fairly certain this is where those creatures you fought came from. I believe that if all four pieces are reunited, the key might seal itself and the dimension will close off again."

"So we've gotta go hunt for the other two pieces?" Raph asked. "Sounds pretty straight forward."

Splinter nodded succinctly. "However, even if we know how to stop this, we do not have very much information. We do not know who has caused this, what their purpose is, or even how they did it."

"It's obvious they're either evil or stupid," Don said.

"Cool, it's like Hellraiser, huh?" Mike grinned.

They all stared darkly at him.

"What?" he said. "It is."

"While we are discussing evil," Splinter said, "there is also the question of your...new abilities. I have seen each of you using them, some more than others. I must ask that you do not use them lightly. In fact, it would be preferable if you did not use them at all."

"But why?" Mike whined. "They're so cool!"

"Do you know where they come from?" Splinter asked.

Not noting the edge in his master's voice, Donatello nodded eagerly. "Yeah, from the creatures we killed!"

Splinter sighed. "And were those creatures good?"

Mike shook his head. "No, they were--oh...I get it."

Splinter smiled in satisfaction. "Exactly, and while these powers do not make you evil, they might have side effects we cannot know about."

__

Don't know 'till you try, Raph thought.

Leonardo and Lotus hid their skepticism.

Donatello and Michaelangelo immediately nodded obediently, while Raphael grudgingly agreed as well. With their eyes averted, however, only Splinter saw the slight tilt of Leonardo's head, indicating that he understood what the master meant but didn't agree. Not inclined to let the eldest speak and possibly sway the younger sons, he let it slide. "In any case, we have to get the other shards back together. They longer they are apart, the more dark magick will come through."

"You mean more big monsters?" Mike asked.

"Exactly."

"And whoever opened that gate will get stronger," Leo said.

"But how do we find him?" Raph asked. "He could be anywhere."

"He or she," Leo said, thinking. "Actually, that's easy. It'll be fighting whoever it is that's hard."

"I don't get it," Mike said, playing with a string of mist and not noticing the frustrated look Splinter shot him.

"Well, all of this magick is going from that gate to the warlock, so we just have to--"

"--follow the stream of negative energy back to him." Donatello said. "I can do that."

Splinter just sighed. _It's like telling a child with cookies not to eat any._ "If you must," he conceded. "But be careful."

"Where do we start looking?" April asked.

"You don't," Leo said. "You're not going back up until its all clear again."

She pretended to be upset, but her slight smile betrayed her relief. "Well, if I must. I guess I'll just keep an eye on things from down here."

"Lotus," Don suddenly said, "where were you when the statue exploded?"

"Not too far outside the museum. Probably only a block away." She shook her head to herself. "Next time I'll park my stupid bike closer."

Donatello wasn't listening to that last part, however. "All right, then that's probably where we should start. There might be some residual traces of magic there, I might be able to follow it."

"Get ready to go, then," Leo said. "We'll head out in a few minutes."

Raphael gave him a worried glance. "In the sunlight?"

Silence.

Leonardo nodded. "We have to find out if you're vulnerable to it. If it hurts you, you'll have to stay underground during the day." He shrugged. "Actually, we might staying down here more than usual now."

"In case those things move around during the day, too?" Mike asked.

Don leaned back, still keeping a grip on his staff. "Hmm...good idea. If we got these powers so easily, who knows what might happen if we got more added on?"

Splinter's eyes opened wide. He hadn't though of that one.

"I doubt that you could add another power," Lotus said. "You might just switch out for the new one."

"Or nothing at all might happen." He twirled his staff a bit. "Maybe I could find a way to make a shield..." Splinter suddenly sighed, making Donatello smile sheepishly. "Oh yeah. Forgot. Sorry."

"In any case," Splinter continued, "if you can follow this magic stream, do not confront whoever you find at the end. We must have more information before you attack."

Sensing that was the wrap up, Leonardo nodded and stood straight. "Get ready. We leave in five minutes."

While Donatello and Mike went to their rooms to gather their weapons, Leonardo ducked into his own room to grab his sword, even though he had a feeling he wouldn't be using it. Deciding not to bring any daggers or smaller weapons, he turned to find himself staring at Raphael.

"Raph?"

His sibling crossed his arms and tilted his head, coping the usual "attitude" position. "Just for the record, I don't like the whole 'go out during the day' idea. It's like you're just asking to get us seen."

Leo shook his head. "Raph, last night there were explosions, power outages, and monsters. How many people do _you_ think will be walking around in plain sight?"

Raph looked away. "I still don't like it."

Leo smirked. "Don't worry. I doubt you'll explode if sunlight hits you."

"Prick," Raph muttered, turning on his heel.

Leo noticed something and hissed out a warning. "Raph, you need to bring your sais."

Raphael glanced at Splinter to make sure the master wasn't listening, then looked back at Leo. "I know I only got one night in," he whispered, "but I prefer my own claws now."

"But--"

"It's my choice, Leo."

"I know!" Leonardo snapped, keeping his voice low. "But I don't need that rat breathing down my neck about anything right now."

Raphael blinked. _That...rat?_ "Your sword...?"

Leonardo shrugged. "Same deal. Just for show now."

"Fine." And he disappeared into his room.

****

No one seemed surprised when Lotus joined them. What really caught their attention was the lack of noise they heard from above. The streets were empty when they came up. Raph came up last, putting his left hand in the sunlight that streamed through the open manhole. When he didn't burst into flames, he followed the others up. There were a few cars and bikes abandoned in the middle of the pavement, as well as an overturned bus. A smoking crater occupied the area the alley had once been, and when Donatello looked in, he found nothing but ashes and charred pavement.

"Damn, Donny," Mike whistled. "What'd you do? Drop a nuke?"

Donatello nodded once. "Yup. Energy equals matter times the speed of light squared."

"Uh, yer staff is glowing," Raph said.

Everyone backed away a few steps when they saw the light get brighter.

"Gah! Zero! Zero!" After his frantic shouts, the light faded and dissipated.

Leo just shook his head. "How about not saying any math unless you mean it?"

Don smiled sheepishly and sighed. "Gotcha."

"How far to the museum?" Lotus asked, her hand on the dagger strapped to her hip. "Will we make it?"

A loud howl echoed from out of sight in reply. They all looked around, putting their backs together.

"I'd hate to find out," Raph muttered. "Can't we just look for that energy crap from here?"

All of them looked at Donatello.

"If I'm working on that," he mumbled, "I'll be wide open if something attacks."

"Scaredy-cat," Raph said.

"Well, that's what we're here for," Mike said.

Lotus looked around and spotted a fire escape ladder on the side of a building across the street. "Maybe we'd be a little safer above ground."

Leonardo followed her look. "At least we could see better," he agreed. "Let's go."

They all moved to the edge of their street, still concealed by the one standing shop as they glanced up and down the street. Silently agreeing to go at once, they raced to the other side where Lotus jumped on top of a closed dumpster and jumped again, grabbing the last rung of the ladder and pulling it down with her weight. Michelangelo went first, followed by Donatello and Lotus, who turned back when she heard the ladder clang up behind her.

Still on the pavement, Raphael and Leonardo were both staring at the brick wall.

"Think you can?" Leo asked.

Raph shrugged. "Dracula could do it."

"A few days ago I'd have argued with that logic."

Raphael stepped closer and lay his hands on the brick, trying to drag them back down. Instead he found himself coming up off the ground until he clung to the wall like a human...turtle fly. He grinned at his brother. "Race ya up."

Leo narrowed his eyes at the challenge. Shadows swirled around his body as he started the change, and Raphael took the moment to get a head start. Halfway up the wall, a dark blur moved up through the air before latching onto the wall only inches from him.

"Nice jump," he admitted.

Looking more like a cat save for the glowing eyes, Leonardo winced, flattening his furry ears along the back of his head. "It's brutal on the claws."

Raph spared one hand and showed the palm, which had several scrapes and nicks. "Maybe brick's harder than other stuff."

Continuing their climb, Raph started notice that his brother was not as black as he'd previously thought. In fact, when the light hit the fur in just the right way, an entirely different color shimmered before fading again.

"Holy shit, Leo, yer green!"

Leonardo paused and blinked at his brother. "Uh, so are you."

"No, man, yer fur!" Raphael couldn't help his laughter, and his hands slipped a little on the bricks. "It's green!"

Leo's eyes widened and he looked at his now five clawed hands. "It is not! It's black!"

They finally came over the top and sat down on the edge, not noticing how their siblings were staring.

Raphael shook his head. "Nope, it's green. Granted, it ain't neon or nothing, but more like moss green."

Leo just glared for a moment. "Fine," he said at last. "So it's dark green. Big deal."

Raph snickered and looked away. "Yeah. No biggie."

Behind them, Mike shook his head in disbelief and sat down on a nearby vent. "Whoa. Now _that's_ something you don't see every day."

Lotus smiled and stared at Donatello. "Feel safer up here?"

Don had to tear his gaze away from his brothers and back to the task at hand. "Yeah...um, let's see. All I have to do is light up any residual energy floating around here. What's a good light equation?" He looked up and met four blank stares. "I guess I'm on my own with this."

He walked to the edge of the building and looked over, holding his staff up in the air. "Okay then. I'll just start out small. (A/B·X/Z)%."

Lotus stared as she sat down beside Leonardo. "That's small?"

Raph shrugged. "I think he's just showing off."

A faint white light poured from the top of Donatello's staff and trailed down the side of the building, dissipating into the air. Don frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe there's nothing here," Mike said.

"There's gotta be something," he argued. "Those things were running around here last night, so there should be some kind of residue, even if it's just the leftovers from my explosion."

"Maybe you started out too small?" Raph said.

"A booster?" Don nodded. "It could work."

"Don't go overboard," Leo said.

"Relax," he said, waving him down. "I know what I'm doing."

Raphael began to edge away. "Y'know, every time he says something like that..."

Leonardo nodded and moved with him. "Something blows up."

Mike hid behind the air vent and looked around from the relative security.

"X2!" Donatello cried, waving his staff around. More light poured out, and after a moment he could see a reddish haze, like fog, floating around the streets. A thick cloud of it filled the crater. "Yes!" But his shoulders dropped when he saw how it faded along the edges until he couldn't see any more. "Well, this just needs more power."

Mike left the vent and joined his siblings on the first level of the fire escape. Four sets of eyes blinked over the concrete edge.

"X9x!"

Light practically exploded from the staff, illuminating huge swaths of red energy in the street and wisps of it in the air. Donatello cackled with glee as the paths grew stronger, but he had a pretty good feeling that the magick wouldn't be showing up over the _entire_ city. But he could fix that.

"Xx, X0!"

The loud boom made everyone cringe, and the next thing they saw was Donatello as he was thrown across the roof, where he slammed into the air vent and came to a rest, smoke coming from his shell and staff. His eyes were wide in surprise, but now they could see even stronger red paths along the ground and air. They climbed back up over the edge and ran to his side, first to see if he was hurt and then to smugly assert that he had indeed blown something else up.

While his siblings checked him over, Lotus walked to the roof's edge and gazed at the red swirls beneath them. The strongest one ran down the street and disappeared, and another streamer moved in the same direction but rose into the air like a floating ribbon. That one veered to the other side, away from the ground streamer. "It looks like there are two main paths," she called over her shoulder. "One through the air and one along the ground."

"I guess we'll have to split up," Raph said and smirked at his brother. "Beat ya to it."

Leonardo ignored the comment. "Think you can turn into a bat?"

Raphael's smirk faded. "I don't know. The other guy did..."

"Well, try it."

Raph looked up at him. "How do _you_ change? Did you, like, concentrate hard?"

Leo got a very confused look on his face. "I don't now. Each time I change, I just...do."

His brother looked around, concentrated, thought about it, concentrated again, thought about it some more...

"Raph, it's not rocket science!" Leo sighed. "If I can do it, you can do it."

"I dunno which muscles to flex," he grumbled.

"I have an idea," Mike grinned.

"Uh oh," Raph worried.

"Relax, it'll work, trust me!" Mike stood at the edge that opened to the alley. "Come here."

At Leonardo's non-committal shrug, Raph joined his brother on the edge. "Yeah?"

Mist started to build up around Mike's ankles and drift down to the ground, just in case he was wrong, but Raphael didn't notice. "Okay, close your eyes..."

Raphael complied. "Uh huh..."

"...think of a happy thought, and fly!" And with that, he roughly shoved his brother off the roof.

"Aaah!" Raphael cried, opening his eyes and spreading his arms out, doing his best to flap them.

"Mike!" everyone on the roof yelled.

The youngest noticed that his victimized brother was getting rather close to the bottom. "Geez, I guess I'd better break his fall..."

Halfway to the ground and not knowing that his brother could keep him from hitting, Raph realized that if he didn't do something now, he was going to be green ooze on the pavement.

So he did something.

A large bat soared up out of the alley and into the air, did a quick loop de loop, and promptly dive bombed Michelangelo, who dropped down and covered his head. The bat emitted its harsh battle cry, a shrill shriek, and came back for another pass. Lotus ducked behind he crumpled vent and hid behind Donatello.

"Enough," Leo said. "He got you to change, didn't he?"

The bat considered that, and in mid-flight, broke off the attack to land beside Mike.

"All right, now what?" Don asked.

"You three can fly. So you get the high road. Lotus and I'll take the low road."

Michelangelo sat up and eyed his batty brother. "And we'll reach Scotland before ye!"

"Keep your communicators on," Leo said. "Call if you see anything weird."

"Does Raph count?"

The bat scratched Mike with a wing tip.

"Ow! Leo, he could have rabies!"

"If he bites you, you'll probably get something besides rabies," Leo sighed. "No matter what you find, we'll group again at noon at Central Park."

"If it's safe," Lotus added.

"Then let's get going," Don nodded, standing up. He held his staff out horizontally and straddled it, bringing his ankles up over the back as if he were riding a narrow ninja motorcycle.

"Cool," Mike said, fading to a purple figure surrounded by mist. He swirled up into the air, followed by the large bat. "Hey, Raph, did ya notice yer green?"

Watching them leave, Lotus stood next to the large, dark greenish werewolf and gazed over him. "Where'd you put your swords?"

"Dropped them off before I got out of the sewer. I'll pick 'em up later. Ready?"

She smiled and held her hands out. He easily swept her up, cradling her in one arm as he started running over the rooftops in the opposite direction.

"Tell me if you notice anything."

"I will. How long do you think this trail runs?"

"No idea. Hopefully we won't meet too many demons and other odd creatures on the way."

TBC...


	5. Survivors

****

Part 5

Lotus curled her fingers through Leo's fur, squeezing closer as he ran over the rooftops and leaped the gaps between tenements. The ground and sky passed in a gray blur until her head pounded and she had to close her eyes. He showed no fear as he moved, sometimes not even caution as he vaulted wide gaps and only saved them from fatal falls by firmly gouging his claws into the brick. One slip and they'd fall to the pavement. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his fur. It didn't help much. Her stomach still lurched with every leap.

"We're here," he said, stopping. He waited until she nodded and then set her on her feet. "At least, I think we're here."

They were on top of a building she recognized, one right across from the museum from the night before. Both of them stood at the ledge and looked down at the street several stories below. Abandoned cars stood in the street, all parked at the bottom of the wide stairs leading to the doors. A few jeeps were on the stairs, blocking the doors like a barricade.

"I wonder if they did that on purpose or just left them there," Lotus said. "If it even helped."

"Must have," Leo said, his voice more of a growl. "They're still in there."

"How can you tell?" She leaned forward and tried to see through the dark doors.

"I can smell them." He glanced at her, his eyes shining. "You'll have to go in without me. I'll only cause a panic."

"I'm not going anywhere without my..." She glanced at him, trying to gauge his species. "...my backup. You'll have to change shape again."

"A turtle won't be much better."

"Human." She put her hand on his arm and pointed down at a department store a block away. "Take us there. You can change and dress, and then we'll go into the museum together."

Without question, he picked her up and leaped off the building, grabbing the rainpipe to slow their descent. He landed on the sidewalk, cushioning the impact merely for her. He didn't put her down, carrying her as he ran for the store. After what he'd seen the night before, he wasn't sure he could protect her and win a fight at the same time. Crossing the street made them hold their breath, scanning in all directions as they went. The doors were locked, and Lotus reached into her pockets for her tools. Leo beat her to it, grabbing the door's handle and wrenching it open.

"After this is all over, I've got to take you with me," she said. "Smash and grab jobs are amateurish, but they have their place."

She didn't squirm to be let down, so he carried her through the store. She guided him past the empty stores and deserted food plaza into a dark clothing store. Here she slid out of his arms and turned to face him, staring into his luminescent eyes.

"Okay, I think we'll be safe here for awhile." She looked around one last time to be sure, but they were alone. "Go ahead."

"I don't know if I can," he said. "When I turned into this, it was pure instinct."

"What about before, when you raced your brother up the wall? You did it consciously then."

"I'm not--"

"Try."

He lowered his head and concentrated. He felt for the new part of himself, the core of his transformations. Black shadows swirled around him, slower than before, as he worked the change. Darkness covered him like a cocoon, and in the middle of that black veil he was sure she couldn't see him, just as he could not see out.

Human, he thought. Two arms, two legs, a head, no shell, taller, warm blooded. There were too many things to take into consideration, the change would not come. Am I making this too difficult? When he'd turned before, he'd had an innate idea of what he should look like. Human. I know what that is. So I can turn...

He opened his eyes. The shadows were gone, and Lotus was staring at him with a hand over her eyes, peeking through her fingers. Confused, he looked down. His body was human, thinner than his other two shapes. He held up his hands, five fingered, thin, tanned like coffee with a lot of cream. It all looked okay, not wrong. "What?"

"Hang on," she said, smiling. A few moments later she brought him a handful of clothes and pushed him into one of the dressing rooms. Without even looking at what she'd brought, he dressed, figuring out how everything went on and thankful now for all the TV Mike made them watch.

He looked in the mirror. Black long sleeve that fit like a second skin, black jeans that stretched to let him move, black sneakers.

"We match," he said as he stepped out.

"I know." She was sitting on a glass counter, examining a handful of pearl necklaces. Pocketing a few, she jumped off and stood beside him. He was only an inch taller. She put her hand on his shoulder, fingers lightly brushing his throat. "I forgot how young you are. Just sixteen?"

"Seventeen in a couple months." He looked away. It sounded weak to his own ears. "Is it really that young?"

"Mm-hmm. But I don't mind." She pushed his hair out of his eyes. "You look good."

To her surprise, he ducked his head and looked away. "It feels weird. I'm too light. And I don't have the strength I did before, I can feel it missing."

"You won't be free to change inside the museum," she said. "We'll have to get you a decent pair of swords next. And I could do with one, too."

"I should've brought mine--" he started.

"No." She took his hand and led him out of the store. There was a map of the mall in the middle of the hall and she studied it for a moment before heading for the stairs. He walked beside her, depending on her to keep an eye out for threats while he looked around. He'd used to dream of being inside one. Aside from a few knocked over displays and dropped bags, probably from a few late night panicked employees, the mall was orderly, every store a neat little world. He spotted a couple birds trapped near the skylight as they flew back and forth.

They went down the stopped escalator and headed past huge department stores. Lotus had to tug on his hand after he slowed to glance inside.

"C'mon, we're almost there," she said.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Just around the corner." She brought him around and then turned to watch his reaction.

He gasped and stepped forward, enthralled by the rows knives and swords along the walls. Most of them were obviously for show, covered with ornate ribbons and decorations, but a few looked serviceable. He followed her behind the counter and through the employee door, into a room filled with shelves and long cardboard boxes.

"I'm sure they keep the best ones in back," she said. "The ones they order for customers."

While she dug through one shelf, knocking boxes over when she didn't find anything suitable in each, he worked on another shelf. The first two held swords with dragon-shaped hilts and the next had display shuriken with kanji decorations. He bit back a laugh and tossed them aside like trash. The next box held a set of curvy knives with skulls in the pommel.

"This is ridiculous," he said, shoving them aside. "Why make knives you can't use?"

"Most people don't use swords the way we do," she said, throwing away a sword with gold dragon wings for a guard.

"But they're useless."

"Ah, they're good for hanging on the wall and looking shiny."

After several shelves of worthless decorations, he was ready to give up. He knelt down and reached for a box stuck in back of several others, still wrapped in mailing tape with several large Chinese stamps. When he opened it, he breathed in sharply. Four swords, all of them bound expertly. Almost reverently, he pulled out the shredded packing straw and placed the box on a higher shelf.

"Lotus," he said, "I found them."

"Hmm?" She looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Perfect."

He took the top pair of katana in simple wrapped sheaths, drawing a gleaming blade with a distinct tempered edge. It hissed as it came free, and he turned it over a few times. "I can't tell for sure, but it's perfectly balanced."  
"These will do," she said, taking a pair for herself. "Ready to--"

They froze as something scraped on the floor somewhere close. Both of them drew a single sword and faced the corridor leading deeper into the employee section.

"Damn," she whispered. "All of these stores are connected."

"What?" he growled. "And you were knocking stuff around?"

"So were you."

"I didn't know."

In front of them, an empty box slid across the floor and hit the wall. There was a muffled curse and then a young girl's voice.

"Are you human?" she asked, still hiding. "'Cause if you're not, I've got like a huge shotgun and I'm not afraid to use it."

Shaking her head once, Lotus closed her eyes and put her sword up. "We're human. Come out, we're hiding too."

As Leonardo put his own sword back, a small blonde came around the corner, hands tugging at the hem of a blood spattered skirt. Her shoes left bloody prints as she came forward. She looked no older than sixteen, though her face was hard to see through her messy hair. She pushed it out of her face.

"I don't have a shotgun, I just...I was afraid," she said. "There was screaming and when I looked out the door, something big had Nancy and it looked like...there was blood everywhere..."

"Is it still here?" Leo asked.

She shook her head, staring at the floor. "It left in the morning. It was moving all over the place, trying to smell me, I think. But I hid with the dogs. None of them barked and it didn't find me." She looked up at them, blinking back tears. "Is it safe to go out? We haven't heard anything and we can't find a radio."

"No," Leo said. "We haven't seen anything, but you can hear them howling sometimes."

"We?" Lotus asked.

"A couple other girls who work down here. I think everyone else got out. We heard you moving around, and since I'm the oldest..."

"This is probably the safest place right now," Lotus said. "And there are plenty of places to hide if something comes in, right?"

The girl nodded.

"I saw a gun shop listed on the map," Leo said. "You'd better find that shotgun and arm the other girls, just in case."

She nodded again. "We're headed that way. We just heard you and thought someone else was alive. Is...is it bad outside?"

"To be honest, we don't know how bad it is," Lotus said. "I was nearly killed by a huge wolf last night but he saved me. We haven't seen anything today."

"You killed one?" the girl asked, staring at Leo. He nodded.

"Then they _can _die," she whispered to herself.

He looked at Lotus. "We need to go. It'll be twelve soon."

"Good luck," the girl said, already moving towards the corridor again. She bent and picked up a long knife that had fallen. "You'll need it." And with that she disappeared.

"Makes you wonder how many people are stuck somewhere, hiding," he said.

"I'm more curious about when the looting will start," Lotus said. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go."


End file.
